THE Warriors technical team is sweating on the availability of Belgium based captain, Knowledge Musona, who is reportedly nursing an injury and is conspicuously absent from the final 20 member squad that was announced yesterday.
BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE
However, Musona who recently moved teams after joining 34 time Belgian champions RSC Anderlecht from KV Oostende last week, will join the football national team in Polokwane, South Africa to be assessed by the Zimbabwean doctors.
Coach Sunday Chidzambga and his technical team are still hopeful that Musona can play a role in the crucial Cosafa Cup defence.
“Musona will fly straight to South Africa tomorrow, but at the same time he is nursing an injury. The doctors will look at him when he arrives in South Africa. We can register up to 22 players for this tournament, so if he is certified fit by the doctors and if the coach wants him obviously he will play,” team manager, Wellington Mupandare told reporters.
The Warriors, who received a bye into the quarterfinals of the competition, are set to leave the country for Polokwane today by road, as they gear up for their Sunday match against group B winners.
Group B contains Botswana, Mauritius, Angola and Malawi.
Chidzambwa named a squad that comprises eight locally based players James Mukombe (FC Platinum), Kelvin Moyo (FC Platinum) Devine Lunga (Chicken Inn) Richard Hachiro (Herentals) Leroy Mavhunga (Yadah FC) Terrence Dzukamanja (Ngezi Platinum) Talbert Shumba (Chapungu) and Takudzwa Chimwemwe (Harare City).
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Ngezi Platinum Stars keeper, Donavan Bernard, who has kept 10 clean sheets in 14 matches this season, was a surprise omission having been part of the provisional squad, while Chapungu goalkeeper Shumba made the cut.
“All I can say is we have 20 very good players who will represent the country and I just hope we will manage to defend our trophy. I wish I can bring the trophy home. I don’t want to put myself under any pressure at all we are the current record holders and we will go out there and play for our country fight for us to retain the trophy. You know what happens in football sometimes you sometimes you lose,” Chidzambga said.
Czech Republic-based Costa Nhamoinesu, who is making a return to the squad joined the team late yesterday, while Khama Billiat and Sweden-based, Tino Kadewere trained with the team yesterday.
“It’s such an amazing feeling for me to be representing Zimbabwe. I don’t mind which games, I don’t mind which competition, as long as long as I am part of the Warriors it makes me feel special,” Djurgardens IF’s man of the moment Kadewere said.
“Coming from Sweden, I just recently won the Swedish Cup with my club, that’s a great feeling, it’s my first professional cup. It’s something I have always wanted and I hope will get the Cosafa Cup also.
“Our expectation is to win the cup. Zimbabwe are the cup holders, so we need to retain the cup. It’s going to be tough task for us, but we have to make sure do what we always do. If we work hard as a team I am sure we will get what we want. We have, so many good players so I think we can win it,” he said.
Warriors Cosafa squad
Edmore Sibanda, James Mukombe, Kelvin Moyo, Costa Nhamoinesu, Alec mudimu, Devine Lunga, Talent Chawapiwa, Marshal Munetsi, Tino Kadewere, Ovidy Karuru , Khama Billiat, Abbas Amidu, Richard Hachiro Leeroy Mavhunga,Tafadzwa Kutinyu, George Chigova , Terrence Dzvukamanja, Takudzwa Chimwemwe, Evans Rusike, Talbert Shumba
